Israel’s unique version of the F-35 stealth fighter is showing the jet’s readiness for a higher level of combat in its fights with Iran, a difficult adversary that until recently fielded a challenging arsenal of air defense weapons.
Over 200 Israeli fighter jets took part in the opening strikes last Friday, and Israeli Air Force photos from the operation confirm the involvement of the F-35I “Adir.” Additional strikes have since followed.
The latest attacks, which have targeted Iranian nuclear facilities, military leaders, and critical defensive capabilities, coupled with the attack last year on Iranian defenses mark the most difficult operations the jet has ever flown in, showcasing its strengths and adaptability across weapons and roles in a way previous engagements against non-state actors or nations with far weaker defenses did not.
Israel’s F-35s, along with fourth-generation aircraft like the F-16 and F-15, have been targeting Iran for days, and Israel’s military said Monday that the bombing runs had given them air superiority over sections of Iran, including Tehran, its capital.
The intense, ongoing Israeli combat operation is aimed at destroying Iran’s nuclear program and also severely degrading military capabilities, including its ballistic missile programs and air defenses.
Justin Bronk, an airpower expert at the London-based Royal United Services Institute, told Business Insider that the strength of Iranian defenses at the time made the combat operations that Israel conducted last October and the most recent strikes on Iran “the most challenging kinetic campaign that F-35s have flown in.”
The Israeli military has not discussed specific F-35 actions against Iran, but the jet’s capabilities and the nature of the targets suggest the aircraft could be playing a central role.
Bronk said that based on the publicly available information from Israeli Air Force officials, every indication is that “the F-35I has been a critical and highly successful leading edge capability in the overall Israeli air campaign at every stage.”
The jet’s involvement isn’t necessarily surprising as penetrating contested airspace and suppressing enemy defenses is what the F-35 is designed to do and what Israel bought it for, he said. That said, this moment is an opportunity to showcase the jet’s prowess.
The jet, Bronk said, “offers a combination of stealth, capability to rapidly detect, identify, and geolocate radar-emitting threats like air defense systems, pass those targets to other aircraft or strike them itself, and conduct electronic warfare attacks to suppress said targets to protect other aircraft and get weapons through to targets.”
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is a single-engine, multi-role stealth aircraft made by US defense contractor Lockheed Martin and employed by countries around the world.
The US military operates three variants of the jet, the A for conventional take-off, the B for short take-off and vertical landing, and the C for carrier operations. Most allied and partner nations operate one of the three variants, but Israel flies a unique F-35 variant.
Israel’s F-35I is its only fifth-generation aircraft. It was the first military to use the F-35 in combat in 2018. It currently operates just under 40 of them but is acquiring more. Israel’s specific model is a subvariant of the F-35A the US Air Force flies.
What makes the F-35I “Adir” unique is that Israel can modify the mission data and programming of the jets and integrate domestically developed systems, from electronic warfare to data links and cybersecurity, without relying on US-directed software update cycles. Those unique features, which allow the jet to be more tailored to Israeli needs, exclude it from US-provided updates for other F-35 customers.
Israeli attacks on Iran have put the jet and the larger Israeli Air Force to the test. In the latest strikes, Israeli fighter jets struck over 100 targets across Iran, including key military sites and the main Iranian uranium enrichment site. The mission is aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon.
The Israeli Defense Force has said that the Iranian nuclear program has “accelerated significantly” in recent months and called it “clear evidence the Iranian regime is operating to obtain a nuclear weapon.”
Iran has said its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, but enrichment levels and secretive nuclear activity have raised concerns about its intentions.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
American officials have said the US isn’t involved in the strikes and warned Iran against retaliating against US forces in the region. The US Navy has warships, including an aircraft carrier and several surface ships, stationed in and around the Middle East, and some of these assets have provided air defense for Israel, helping shield it from retaliatory Iranian missile strikes.
The US has been adjusting its force posture in the area recently, but it remains unclear if the US will become more involved or keep its distance from the ongoing fight.
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